At aging SEPTA station, a call for more rail funding

Standing
before a Depression-era railroad power station in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Gov. Edward Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter warned May 6 that
such aging relics could imperil the region's commuter rail network and its
highways, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Without
more money for transportation funding to replace decrepit power stations,
bridges, and other transportation mainstays, the Philadelphia region faces a
"real peril to public safety," Rendell said.

"We're
playing a little Russian roulette" with deteriorating structures, he said.

Rendell,
Nutter, and Rob Wonderling, president of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of
Commerce, were at SEPTA's Wayne Junction substation to urge state legislators
to provide more money for highways, bridges and mass transit.

The
aging substation, which supplies power to trains on six SEPTA rail lines, was
built in 1931 and would cost $50 million to $75 million to replace. SEPTA has
19 power substations, and 15 are as old as Wayne Junction or older.

Rendell
convened a special session of the legislature May 4 to deal with a
$472-million-a-year hole in the state's transportation budget, created by a
federal rejection of the state's plan to place tolls on I-80. SEPTA stands to
lose $110 million a year - about a quarter of its capital budget - if the
anticipated money is not replaced. About $350 million a year for highways and
bridges is at stake.

More
than 20 major SEPTA projects, including a new Wayne Junction power station, are
in limbo because of the cuts, SEPTA officials said.

And
47 of SEPTA's 341 bridges are in poor condition, including the 115-year old
Crum Creek bridge on the Media-Elwyn line. The bridge needs to be replaced at a
cost of $57 million, SEPTA says. Three other century-old bridges that need to
be replaced on the Norristown and Chestnut Hill East rail lines and Norristown
High Speed Line would cost $27 million.

Nutter
also said jobs would be lost and traffic congestion would get worse if the
legislature did not act. "This is a call to arms," he said.
"This is a serious issue that must be addressed."

Wonderling
said the local business community "believes the sound, prudent investment
in infrastructure is a core function of state government." He said the
region's mobility was a key to attracting and keeping businesses.

"It's
central to employees and employers alike," he said.

Wonderling,
a former Republican state senator from Montgomery County, said business leaders
"do not view this as a partisan issue."

Leaders
of the Republican-controlled state Senate, including Majority Leader Dominic
Pileggi of Delaware County, have said their first priority is passing a state
budget. They will deal with transportation funding if time permits, Pileggi
said.

Rendell
urged the legislature to do more than just fill the $472-million-a-year gap. He
said lawmakers should raise $3.5 billion a year, the amount cited by a
transportation advisory committee as needed to rebuild the state's highways,
bridges, and transit.

An
increase in the state gasoline tax is one possible source of new money. Other
proposals include imposing the state sales tax on gasoline sales, boosting
motor-vehicle fees, setting a new tax on oil company profits, and adding tolls
to existing highways, such as I-95.

Rendell
said there was "no way out" without raising taxes, fees or tolls.

"You
get what you pay for, folks," he said. "The people of Pennsylvania
and the people of America understand that."

Rendell,
who has only eight more months in office, noted that some candidates to replace
him had taken a no-new-taxes pledge, which could block any new transportation
funding.

"We
have to fix the problem this year," Rendell said. "Put it on the desk
of a governor who has never taken a no-new-taxes pledge."

Several
leaders of the neighborhood around the run-down passenger station at Wayne
Junction said SEPTA had also delayed long-planned repairs and improvements to
the station, because of funding shortages.

"For
years, we were told it was about to be redeveloped," said Majeedah Rashid,
executive vice president of the Nicetown Community Development Corp.
"Things are ready to go. If there's a delay now, it will have a domino
effect on development in Nicetown."